043. Restaurant-Hunting Mukbang
043. Restaurant-Hunting Mukbang
I figured there'd be a riot this time too.
I'd basically put them through feral-dog training, after all.
But the reaction was different from what I expected.
【Qkrnfl892】─lol I knew it'd be like this.
【Dick Lover】─Yeah. You go where you want, Se-hun.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything anyway!
【Hottie Licker】─We went to all the trouble of searching, and in the end, you just go wherever you want.
【Yoho】─I take it none of the restaurants we found were to your liking. haha
【Drift AI】─I will speak. I suspect you had no intention of going to the restaurants we recommended from the very beginning.
【Qkrnfl892】─No doubt. That's so like Se-hun.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─If it were any other streamer I'd be cussing them out, but since it's Se-hun, I'll let it slide. lolol
Had they mastered the art of my streams or something?
The viewers didn't really pour out any complaints.
"...That's kind of anticlimactic. When you guys react like this, I actually feel a little sorry, you know."
【Reformed Guburi】─whoa, you're actually capable of feeling sorry?
【Hottie Licker】─Superstar Guburi, hi.
【Dick Lover】─Cutie has appeared. lolol
【Yoho】─Has the popular streamer Reformed Guburi arrived?
【Drift AI】─Popular streamer. Viewer count: 0.
【Reformed Guburi】─pfft.
The lukewarm reaction sucked the wind right out of my sails.
Had these guys always been this tame?
Even Guburi, the very epitome of a crazy bitch, was sitting quietly without voicing any complaints.
"No, seriously, you guys. Aren't you pissed? Why aren't you getting mad?"
【Qkrnfl892】─Why would we get mad over something like this?
【Min-ji】─Who would dare get mad at Se-hun, teehee.
【Dick Lover】─Not pissed.
【Reformed Guburi】─Sex.
【Hottie Licker】─Lick.
"...Did these fuckers eat something bad?"
The chat was ridiculously boring.
They were just going to take this level of trolling and put up with it?
Should at least one person not have gotten angry?
I simply could not understand the viewers' reaction.
"Stop pretending you're fine. If you're pissed, just go ahead and complain openly for once."
【Hottie Licker】─Why do you keep trying to provoke us?
【Qkrnfl892】─Absolutely not complaining. You only told us to try it; you never said you'd go easy on us.
【Dick Lover】─lolol
Eight-Nine-Two was surprisingly quick on the uptake.
I let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"Sigh... This throws a wrench in my plans."
【Reformed Guburi】─Hemorrhoids?
【Hottie Licker】─Lick.
【Yoho】─What kind of setback?
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Did you actually have some kind of plan?
"The truth is, my vision of the fu-ture was for you guys to throw a fit and start cussing, so I could slap a Chat Mute on everyone."
【Reformed Guburi】─? Have you gotten addicted to chat muting or something, you bastard?
【Hottie Licker】─Are you a psycho?
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya...
【Dick Lover】─Are you feeling sick today, Se-hun?
【Drift AI】─I will speak. I am saying that we were maneuvering specifically to prevent that fu-ture from being realized.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─lol I figured as much.
【Yoho】─Instead of that fu-ture, how about drawing a fu-ture with me?
【Reformed Guburi】─Don't butt in, you fucking bitch.
"Anyway, it's a shame."
【Qkrnfl892】─What's there to be a shame about, you crazy bastard. lolol
【Reformed Guburi】─If you look closely, Gye Bastard-hun isn't right in the head either.
【Yoho】─Reformed Guburi, you're not in any position to say things like that.
【Hottie Licker】─For real lol
In the end, I failed to Chat Mute even a single person.
I swallowed my disappointment and decided to focus on driving again.
***
I left the country road behind and entered a quiet national highway.
That was as I continued to drive toward the Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant.
"Huh? Looks like people still hitchhike these days."
The shoulder next to the road.
I could see people waving their hands.
It was obvious at a glance that they were trying to catch a ride.
【Hottie Licker】─Hitchhiking? In our country?
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─0W0!?
【Yoho】─What a romantic person.
【Dick Lover】─Romantic, my ass.
There were two people attempting to hitchhike.
Seeing as they wore couple T-shirts, I figured they were probably lovers.
They were quite far away.
【Min-ji】─Are you going to give them a ride, teehee?
"If they ask for a ride, there's no reason I can't give them one."
【Dick Lover】─No, absolutely do not give them a ride. They could be robbers.
【Reformed Guburi】─Robbers, yeah right lol
"Ah. You think so?"
【Reformed Guburi】─What do you mean 'you think so,' you shithead!
They vigorously waved their arms toward the car driving ahead of me.
It was a gesture filled with desperation.
But sadly.
The car up ahead showed absolutely no sign of slowing down.
Because its brake lights didn't come on.
If anything, it seemed to be speeding up even more.
And as expected, the car in front ignored the couple completely and whizzed right past them.
‘Hitchhiking in the Republic of Korea was tough...’
It was a bleak reality.
I felt just a tiny bit of pity.
Should I be the one to give them a ride?
I was torn.
Initially, I had planned to pick them up without a second thought.
But Dick Lover's earlier warning had gotten me thinking.
It might be an excessive delusion.
But that couple really could be robbers.
Even if Korea's public safety is good compared to other countries, that didn't mean there weren't people who committed robbery.
There was no harm in being careful.
‘I felt bad, but I'd just drive on past, too. It was dangerous to pick up complete strangers.’
That was the moment I made my decision.
Upon spotting my car, the couple hurriedly averted their gaze.
They didn't even wave.
"...What's with those fuckers?"
【Reformed Guburi】─Why? Are they having outdoor sex?
【Hottie Licker】─Licck!
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─Oh...
The viewers didn't know the situation up ahead.
That was because I had the camera pointed toward the driver's seat.
I explained the situation.
"No, not that... But they're not giving me any eye contact at all. Even though they were waving enthusiastically at the other cars."
【Reformed Guburi】─I think I know why.
"Huh? How could you possibly know?"
【Reformed Guburi】─It's obvious. They just don't want to ride in a truck.
"..."
Guburi's words had a point.
I hated to admit it, but the reality was that people didn't look favorably on a Porter truck.
That couple probably wanted to get a ride in a nicer car if they could.
【Hottie Licker】─I think Guburi is right for once. lol
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! They're hitchhiking because they don't have a car, and they're still being picky!
"There could be another reason, so don't badmouth them."
【Reformed Guburi】─You cussed them out earlier too, you dipshit!
【Hottie Licker】─lol So hypocritical.
【Dick Lover】─But what's wrong with a truck?
【Qkrnfl892】─For real, they don't know romance.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Honestly, more than half the people in Korea probably look down on someone who drives a truck, even if just internally. They might not show it on the outside, though.
【Yoho】─I can't deny what Defense Force says. There are many people who subtly grade others just by looking at the car they drive.
【Min-ji】─That's a painful reality, teehee...
"Well... there are plenty of idiots who naturally assume anyone driving a cheap car is beneath them."
【Reformed Guburi】─To be honest, I used to secretly look down on people who drove small cars like trucks or Matiz, too. Thinking about it now, it's embarrassing.
【Hottie Licker】─So Guburi was trash.
【Yoho】─Reformed Guburi, it turns out you were trash.
【Qkrnfl892】─Trash bastard.
【Reformed Guburi】─???
"Anyway, I don't really care about that stuff. I think it's better to drive a car I like rather than always driving the most expensive one."
【Yoho】─Of course you wouldn't have to worry about that, Host. Your very existence is a luxury brand.
【Reformed Guburi】─Stop kissing ass.
【Hottie Licker】─Lick.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Aren't there some expensive trucks too?
【Hottie Licker】─Oh, right. You've got loads of money, so just pick one out.
"...If a car comes along that I like more than the one I drive now, I'll pick one out. Someday."
I decided to stop talking about cars.
I was perfectly satisfied with my current car, after all.
And so, I changed the subject and continued interacting with them.
***
Plum Tree, who had been unjustly exiled.
She was currently staring intently at her phone, trying to re-enter Gye Se-hun's stream.
"Three minutes left."
“...Senior, at that point, it is a genuine illness.”
Plum Tree didn't answer.
That was because all of her focus was on her phone.
Her junior glanced sidelong at Plum Tree as if she was pathetic.
And, perhaps bored of just driving, she turned on the radio.
A breaking news report was playing on the radio.
***
I finally arrived at the restaurant.
It was the Pyongyang naengmyeon place, a good restaurant I'd looked up online.
【Reformed Guburi】─Oh. It's a hanok.
【Hottie Licker】─Whoa, just looking at the building, the prices must be expensive as fuck.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─I just looked it up, and this place only sells naengmyeon. lolol
【Min-ji】─The rating is 4.9. It looks like a really good restaurant, teehee.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya. How much is the naengmyeon?
【Se-hun Defense Force】─54,000 won.
【Reformed Guburi】─?
【Hottie Licker】─??
【Qkrnfl892】─What the fuck? Did they make the noodles out of gold?
【Reformed Guburi】─Gye Bastard-hun. You did look up the prices before coming, right?
"Of course I came knowing. It's expensive, but the ratings are good and the reviews are full of praise, so I wanted to try it."
【Reformed Guburi】─That's the rich class for you.
【Hottie Licker】─This is a restaurant a commoner like me can't even dream of looking at.
After I finished parking.
I grabbed my camera and headed toward the front door of the restaurant.
"Welcome!"
As the automatic door opened, an employee at the counter greeted me energetically.
She was someone with an exceptional sense of service.
"Yes. Hello."
"Oh? Are you a streamer, by any chance?"
The employee asked, looking at my camera.
I had been planning to ask for filming permission as soon as I came in anyway.
A stream was a stream, even with few viewers.
If I was refused, I could just go to another restaurant.
There were a lot of Pyongyang naengmyeon places around here.
Their ratings were lower than this restaurant's, but they were places that could still be called good enough.
Just as I was about to ask if filming was allowed.
<Neotube Filming Strictly Prohibited!!!>
Right in front of the counter.
I spotted the sign that stated filming was refused.
"Ah..."
I let out a sigh,
"Haha..."
And the employee gave an awkward laugh.
Our eyes met awkwardly.
It was a shame, but it looked like I'd have to go to another place.
"So filming is... a no-go, I guess. I'll be on my way then, sorry for the trouble."
That was the moment I was about to leave after saying that.
"...Just a moment!"
The employee called out to me urgently.
She then made a hesitant expression and carefully continued speaking.
"Filming isn't completely off-limits."
"Pardon? It says here that it's not allowed."
"Technically it's not, but... still, just in case, I'll go and ask the owner first. So could you wait just a little? It'll only take a minute!"
"Ah, yes..."
The moment she heard my reply, the employee rushed breathlessly into the kitchen.